The Airbus A220 is rapidly becoming one of the most successful narrow body aircraft. Many airlines are loving its versatility to serve smaller or less busy airport with high load factors and high efficiency. One of these airlines will be Croatia Airlines which has just placed an order for the nimble aircraft type. Let’s take a closer look at this order and how their fleet will evolve.
The Current Croatia Airlines Fleet
At the moment Croatia Airlines operates a 13 aircraft fleet comprised of all single aisle narrow body planes. The 13 planes that form the Croatia Airlines fleet at the moment are:
- 5 Airbus A319-100
- 2 Airbus A320-200
- 6 Dash 8-400
Image: Airbus
About the Airbus A220 Order
The airline is to acquire 15 Airbus A220-300s however the order that has been placed with the manufacturer is only for 6 planes. In fact Croatia Airlines will:
- Acquire 6 A220s directly from Airbus.
- Receive further 9 A220-300s in dry lease.
The intention of the Croatian flag carrier is to completely replace its current mixed aircraft fleet with a single type. This will modernise significantly the airline’s fleet and streamline operations.
The A220 will significantly increase the fleet’s fuel efficiency and reduce maintenance costs as there will be only one aircraft type to repair and maintain.
Although we don’t know for certain which cabin layout will be used for these new planes, it is likely that they will feature a 2 class configuration as all current aircraft have.
The A220 is also one of my own favourite aircraft types as far as narrow bodies go. Its roomy cabin and large windows make the cabin particularly welcoming and nice to be in. I’m looking forward to seeing another European airline use this extremely innovative plane which is the result of a successful Airbus-Bombardier joint venture.
At the moment Airbus has just under 800 orders for this aircraft type.
